California lawmakers are weighing in on the issue of port security, saying it’s time to get more involved.

Captain Peter Neffenger (NEFF-ehn-jur) with the U-S Coast Guard says coordination among state, local and federal officials is stronger than ever, but that port security is still a difficult issue to get a handle on. Cut: Peter (:06) “When you look at the ports, people say how in the world are you going to put a security system, without shutting the whole thing down?” At a legislative hearing many local port officials said they rely on grant funding for security projects. State Senator Christine Kehoe of San Diego says members of the legislature with ports in their districts are well aware of the needs. Cut: Kehoe (:10) “But we need to speak with a more unified voice and we need to work with our congressional delegation and the Governor’s office to make sure Washington knows what we need.” Port security has been addressed recently by the legislature—a bill signed into law last year more carefully tracks port cargo thefts. SOC